Payment using rewards points

ABSTRACT

A method of payment using rewards points includes receiving authentication data and a payment amount from a customer&#39;s mobile device, determining an amount of rewards points available to fund the payment amount in a rewards account associated with the customer, and sending selectable payment options to the mobile device. The selectable payment options include an option to redeem a portion of the rewards points amount to fund a portion of the payment amount. The method also includes receiving a customer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options from the mobile device and sending a form of payment for the payment amount from the account management system at the mobile device. The form of payment is configured for presentation to a point of sale device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Application No.62/034,391, filed Aug. 7, 2014, titled “PAYMENT USING REWARDS POINTS”,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Financial institutions such as banks typically offer their customers avariety of credit alternatives to meet their needs. One such alternativeis for the financial institution to offer the customer a credit cardthat provides the customer with quick and convenient access to a chargeaccount from multiple locations where the card is accepted. The cardissuer typically provides the customer with a plastic card or otherdevice having an account number associated therewith, and establishes acorresponding credit account for the customer. The card or other devicemay be used by the customer to purchase goods and services while at thesame time borrowing against the credit account. The card issuerauthorizes payment for the goods or services and then enters a debit tothe charge account. The card issuer in turn generates revenue from theconvenience of card access to the credit account by charging thecustomer interest, typically as a percentage of the balance carried onthe credit account over a particular period of time.

The card issuer also generates revenue in the form of commissions paidby merchants providing goods and services. Given that many customersprefer the convenience of paying with a credit card, most merchants arewilling to agree to accept credit card payments and pay the associatedcommission to the card issuer in order to increase sales of the goodsand services they offer. Typically each merchant will pay the cardissuer a commission in the form of a percentage of the amount of eachcredit card transaction accepted by the merchant.

Accordingly, in order to encourage its customers to use such cards morefrequently and thus generate more revenue, the card issuer may offerincentives for each purchase the customer makes using the card. Suchincentives may be provided in the form of a loyalty or rewards programassociated with a particular card. For example, a card issuer may offera cashback reward program where a percentage of the amount of eachpurchase using the associated card is credited back to the customer as amonetary amount. Similarly, the card issuer may credit the customer witha certain number of rewards points based on the amount of each purchaseusing the associated card. The rewards points earned by the customer maybe redeemed for a variety of goods, services, and other items. Forexample, the card issuer may allow its customers to redeem points forgift cards, airline tickets, online digital media, merchandise fromselected merchants, or cash.

While many card issuers offer a wide variety of options for which pointsmay be redeemed, there are currently many limitations on the manner inwhich rewards points may be redeemed by the customer. For example, manyrewards programs that allow customers to redeem rewards points for cashdo not allow customers to directly redeem their rewards points inmerchant point of sale transactions. Rather, the card issuers requiretheir customers to manually redeem their rewards points in separatepoints redemption transactions using a system hosted by the card issuer,and may also require customers to redeem rewards points forpredetermined cash amounts after minimum thresholds are met. Customersmust often maintain their redeemed rewards points in a separate paymentdevice, such as a printed or electronic rewards certificate. Thus, whilecustomers may conveniently access their credit account funds at amerchant point of sale device, customers must engage in a separateadvance transaction using a separate system in order to access theirrewards account and may also need to carry an additional means ofpayment representing the cash value of the rewards points they haveredeemed.

Furthermore, while some attempts have been made to provide rewardspoints redemption at merchant locations using point of sale devicesprovided by the merchant, these systems have the disadvantage of eitherbeing limited to rewards points offered by or in partnership with themerchant as opposed to the card issuer, or requiring modification to themerchant's point of sale devices. For example, such systems may requirethe merchant to implement and maintain software and hardware updates toprocess additional customer interactions for points redemptiontransactions. There is an ongoing need for improved methods of paymentusing rewards points that allow customers to conveniently access both acredit account and a rewards account at the time of a merchant point ofsale transaction. There is further need for improved methods of paymentusing rewards points that do not require any changes to preexistingmerchant point of sale devices and systems.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of payment using rewardspoints includes receiving authentication data and a payment amount froma customer's mobile device, determining an amount of rewards pointsavailable to fund the payment amount in a rewards account associatedwith the customer, and sending selectable payment options to the mobiledevice. The selectable payment options include an option to redeem aportion of the rewards points amount to fund a portion of the paymentamount. The method also includes receiving a customer selection of atleast one of the selectable payment options from the mobile device andsending a form of payment for the payment amount from the accountmanagement system at the mobile device. The form of payment isconfigured for presentation to a point of sale device.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method includes receivingauthentication data and a payment amount at a customer's mobile deviceand displaying selectable payment options for the payment amount at themobile device. The selectable payment options are received from anaccount management system and include an option to redeem rewards pointsto fund a portion of the payment amount. The method also includesreceiving a customer selection of at least one of the selectable paymentoptions and displaying a form of payment for the payment amount at themobile device. The form of payment is configured for processing by amerchant's point of sale device.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method includes receiving apayment amount at a mobile device from a point of sale device, sendingauthentication data and the payment amount from the mobile device to anaccount management system, and receiving selectable payment options fromthe account management system at the mobile device. The selectablepayment options include an option to redeem rewards points to fund aportion of the payment amount. The method also includes sending acustomer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options tothe account management system, receiving a form of payment for thepayment amount from the account management system at the mobile device,and sending the form of payment to the point of sale device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a data flow diagram illustrating a process for payment usingrewards points according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a depiction of a user interface that may be used to facilitatereceiving and sending authentication and payment data according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a depiction of a user interface that may be used to facilitatereceiving and sending selectable payment options according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a single displayable authorized form of paymentaccording to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for payment using rewards pointsaccording to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a system for payment usingrewards points according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to various exemplary embodiments, a method of payment usingrewards points is provided to customers of card issuing entities, suchas banks or other financial institutions. The card issuing entity mayprovide rewards programs and accounts in conjunction with credit cardaccounts, wherein rewards points are earned by the customer for eachpurchase the customer makes using a card issued by the entity. Therewards points earned by the customer may be redeemed for a variety ofgoods and services or cash. A customer seeking to purchase goods orservices in a merchant point of sale transaction by redeeming rewardspoints may provide authentication data to a mobile device, such as acellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tabletdevice, laptop computer or other device. The mobile device may beproximity enabled by, for example, a near field communications (NFC) orhost card emulation (HCE) equipped device.

The authentication data may include, for example, account informationsuch as the customer's name, credit account or credit card number, cardexpiration data, and rewards account number. The authentication data mayfurther contain, for example, username and password credentials foronline access to the customer's credit account and/or rewards account.According to an exemplary embodiment, the customer's authentication datamay be received at the mobile device via a contactless smart card thatcryptographically generates a code which can be verified by the cardissuer's systems for purposes of authenticating the customer. Accordingto another exemplary embodiment, biometric data may be provided to themobile device for purposes of authenticating the customer, and accountdata may be stored on the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the customer may execute a mobile application onthe mobile device in order to facilitate receiving the authenticationdata. For example, the customer may tap the contactless smart card tothe mobile device in order to execute a mobile application thatretrieves the authentication data from the contactless smart card.Alternatively, the mobile application may be executed upon receiving asignal from a merchant's point of sale device, or upon the customertapping a graphical element displayed on the mobile device.

The mobile device may further receive a payment amount for the merchantpoint of sale transaction. In embodiments where the customer hasexecuted a mobile application on the mobile device in order tofacilitate receiving the authentication data, the customer may input thepayment amount via a graphical user interface of the mobile application.For example, the merchant's point of sale device may display the paymentamount, or the merchant may verbally convey the payment amount, and thecustomer may enter this amount in a field provided in the graphical userinterface. In other embodiments, the payment amount may beelectronically transmitted to the mobile device from the merchant'spoint of sale device.

The mobile device may send the customer's authentication data and thepayment amount to an account management system associated with the cardissuing entity. Upon receiving the customer's authentication data andthe payment amount, the account management system may authenticate thecustomer. The account management system may also access the customer'scredit account and rewards account. The account management system maydetermine the amount of rewards points currently available for thecustomer to redeem and may further determine a number of payment optionsselectable by the customer. The selectable payment options may includean option to redeem a portion of the rewards points currently availablefor the customer to fund a portion of the payment amount. For example,the selectable payment options may include an option to redeem a portionof the rewards points to fund the entire payment amount, an option toredeem a portion of the rewards points to fund less than the entirepayment amount, and an option not to redeem any of the portion ofrewards points.

The selectable payment options may be sent from the account managementsystem to the mobile device. Upon receiving the selectable paymentoptions from the account management system, the mobile device maypresent them to the customer. In some embodiments where the customer hasexecuted a mobile application on the mobile device in order tofacilitate receiving the authentication data, the mobile device maydisplay the selectable payment options via a graphical user interface ofthe mobile application. The customer may select one of the paymentoptions from the displayed payment options. For example, in someembodiments where the customer has executed a mobile application on themobile device to display the selectable payment options, the mobileapplication may be further configured to receive the customer'sselection via a graphical user interface.

The customer's selected payment option may be sent to the accountmanagement system. Upon receiving the customer's selected paymentoption, the account management system may send an authorized form ofpayment to the mobile device. The form of payment may be a single formof payment configured for presentation to the merchant's point of saledevice, regardless of whether the customer is funding all, a portion, ornone of the payment amount by redeeming rewards points. In someembodiments, the authorized form of payment is displayable by the mobiledevice, such as a barcode that may be scanned by the merchant's point ofsale device. In some embodiments, the form of payment may be configuredfor electronic transmission from the mobile device to the merchant'spoint of sale device.

As will be appreciated, the methods of payment using rewards pointsdescribed in the various exemplary embodiments eliminate one of themajor limitations on the manner in which points may currently beredeemed by allowing customers to directly redeem their rewards pointsin merchant transactions. Customers may redeem rewards points for all,some, or none of the payment amount in the same transaction as opposedto redeeming rewards points for predetermined fixed cash amounts using aseparate payment device representing the cash value of the redeemedpoints. That is, customers may conveniently access both their creditaccount funds and their rewards account at a merchant location.

Furthermore, the methods of payment using rewards points described inthe various exemplary embodiments are not limited to rewards pointsoffered by or in partnership with the merchant as opposed to the cardissuer, and do not require the merchant to implement and maintainsoftware and hardware updates to point of sale devices in order toprocess additional customer interactions for points redemptiontransactions. Rather, the form of payment provided herein may leverage acustomer's mobile device in combination with existing merchant point ofsale devices, such as barcode scanning devices and NFC devices, withoutmodification to these devices.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a data flow diagram illustrating a process 100for payment using rewards points according to an exemplary embodiment isshown. FIG. 1 generally illustrates an embodiment of process 100 whereindata is variously exchanged between a mobile device 101, such as acellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) tabletdevice, laptop computer or other device owned by customer 102, anauthentication device 103, an account management system 104 operated bya card issuing entity 105, and a point of sale device 106 operated by amerchant 107. Although card issuing entity 105 may typically bedescribed herein as a financial institution, such as a bank, other typesof card issuing entities are contemplated as well. Similarly, whilemerchant 107 may typically be described herein in the context of aphysical location of a department store, all types of merchants arecontemplated as well. Furthermore, as contemplated herein, the cardissuing entity and the merchant are not affiliated, such that the term“rewards points” as used herein refers to rewards points issued andmaintained by the card issuing entity and not by the merchant.

Process 100 typically begins with customer 102 entering a store locationof merchant 107 and selecting one or more goods or services forpurchase. For example, customer 102 may enter a department storeoperated by merchant 107 and select one or more items of merchandise forpurchase. Customer 102 may proceed to a checkout station having a pointof sale device 106 operated by merchant 107. Merchant 107 may utilizepoint of sale device 106 to determine a final payment amount 108 for theone or more items of merchandise. Customer 102 may wish to use a creditcard issued by card issuing entity 105 in the form of authenticationdevice 103 in order to fund the payment amount from a credit account 109as opposed to performing a cash transaction. Customer 102 may furtherwish to utilize rewards points in a rewards account 110 maintained bycard issuing entity 105 to fund at least a portion of payment amount108.

In order to initiate payment of the payment amount, in some embodimentscustomer 102 may provide authentication data 112 to a mobile device 101so that account management system 104 will be able to verify that it isin fact customer 102 initiating the transaction. Authentication data 112may include, for example, account data 112 a such as customer 102'sname, credit account or credit card number, card expiration date, andrewards account number. Authentication data 110 may further contain, forexample, username and password credentials 112 b for online access tocredit account 109 and/or rewards account 110.

In some embodiments, customer 102 may provide authentication data 112 tomobile device 101 via authentication device 103. For example,authentication device 103 may be a contactless EUROPAY, MASTERCARD andVISA (EMV) smart card issued by entity 105 and mobile device 101 may bean NFC equipped device capable of receiving data from authenticationdevice 103. Authentication device 103 may store account data 112 aand/or credentials 112 b, and may also cryptographically generate a code112 c which may be verified by card issuing entity 105 for purposes ofauthenticating customer 102. By presenting EMV authentication device 103within range of NFC enabled mobile device 101 (e.g., tappingauthentication device 103 against mobile device 101), authenticationdata 112 may be transferred to mobile device 101. In some embodiments,authentication device 103 may not be used to provide authentication data112. In such embodiments, mobile device 101 may store account data 112 aand/or credentials 112 b in a memory location, and biometric data 114,such as a fingerprint, may be provided to mobile device 101 for purposesof authentication.

In some embodiments, customer 102 may execute a mobile application 116on mobile device 101 in order to facilitate receiving authenticationdata 112. For example, in EMV and/or NFC device embodiments, customer102 may tap authentication device 103 to mobile device 101 in order toexecute mobile application 116. Upon detecting authentication device103, mobile device 101 may automatically launch mobile application 116,which in turn facilitates automatic retrieval of authentication data 112from the authentication device 103.

In some embodiments, mobile application 116 may be executed uponcustomer 102 tapping a graphical element corresponding to mobileapplication 116 and displayed on mobile device 101. For example,customer 102 may tap an icon displayed on a screen of mobile device 101to launch mobile application 116, which in turn may prompt customer 102to tap authentication device 103 to mobile device 101 to begin automaticretrieval of authentication data 112 from the authentication device 103.

In some embodiments, mobile application 116 may be executed uponreceiving a signal from another NFC device, such as point of sale device106. For example, where mobile device 101 as well as point of saledevice 106 are radio frequency (e.g., RFID) or NFC-enabled, customer 102may bring mobile device 101 within a radio frequency range of point ofsale device 106 in order to execute mobile application 116. In one suchan arrangement, upon detecting the radio frequency field of point ofsale device 106, mobile device 101 automatically launches the mobileapplication 116. Mobile application 116 may then be used to retrieveauthentication data 112 from the authentication device.

In some embodiments, mobile application 116 may be configured to, uponbeing executed, display a graphical user interface 118 on mobile device101 to facilitate receiving authentication data 112. For example,referring now to FIG. 2, a user interface 200 that may be used tofacilitate receiving authentication data according to an exemplaryembodiment is shown. User interface 200 may be formatted as, forexample, a PDF or HTML document capable of being displayed on a mobiledevice and further configured for data entry using a suitable userinterface device. User interface 200 may include one or moreauthentication data entry fields 202 configured to receive data eitherautomatically via pre-population or via a user interface device, such asa keypad (e.g., a physical or virtual keypad) or touch screen display.For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a data entry field 202 acorresponds to a name for the customer. A data entry field 202 bcorresponds to credit account or credit card number for the customer. Adata entry field 202 c corresponds to a card expiration date. A dataentry field 202 d corresponds to a rewards account number. Data entryfields 202 may further include, for example, fields 202 e, 202 f, 202 g,and 202 h for username and password credentials for online access tocorresponding credit accounts and rewards accounts.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, graphical user interface118 may be automatically populated in full or in part. For example, inembodiments where customer 102 may tap authentication device 103 tomobile device 101 in order to execute mobile application 116,authentication data 112 stored on authentication device 103 may be usedto populate graphical user interface 118. Similarly, in embodimentswhere customer 102 may tap an icon displayed on a screen of mobiledevice 101 to launch mobile application 116, customer 102 may beprompted to tap authentication device 103 to mobile device 101 in orderto automatically populate graphical user interface 118. In otherembodiments, graphical user interface 118 may be manually populated infull or in part.

In some embodiments, graphical user interface 118 may be furtherconfigured to receive biometric data 114 from customer 102, such as inembodiments where an EMV or other authentication device 103 is not usedto provide authentication data 112, or where a second level ofauthentication is desired. For example, referring again to FIG. 2, inthe illustrated embodiment, a data entry field 204 corresponds to afingerprint pad where the customer's fingerprint may be placed in orderto be captured.

Referring again to FIG. 1, mobile device 101 may further receive paymentamount 108. Payment amount 108 may be, for example, electronicallytransmitted to mobile device 101 from point of sale device 106 (e.g., inembodiments where point of sale device 106 is an NFC device). In someembodiments, mobile application 116 is used to facilitate receiving thepayment amount. For example, a signal received from point of sale device106 conveying payment amount 108 may cause mobile device 101 to executemobile application 116, or customer 102 may have already executed mobileapplication 116 on mobile device 101 in order to facilitate receivingauthentication data 110.

In some embodiments, customer 102 may input payment amount 108 via agraphical user interface of mobile application 116. For example, pointof sale device 106 may display payment amount 108, or merchant 107 mayverbally convey payment amount 108, and customer 102 may manually enterthis amount in a field provided in the graphical user interface. Forexample, referring again to FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, adata entry field 206 corresponds to a payment amount for a point of saletransaction. In other embodiments, the payment amount may beautomatically populated in field 206.

Referring again to FIG. 1, mobile device 101 may send authenticationdata 112 and payment amount 108 to an account management system 104associated with card issuing entity 105. For example, in someembodiments, authentication data 112 and payment amount 108 areautomatically received by mobile device 101 and electronicallytransmitted to account management system 104 (e.g., upon customer 102tapping an EMV authentication device 103 to an NFC mobile device 101, orupon receiving a signal from an NFC point of sale device 106). In someembodiments, graphical user interface 118 provided by mobile application116 is used to facilitate receiving and sending authentication data 112and payment amount 108. For example, referring again to FIG. 2, in theillustrated embodiment, a graphical element in the format of a button208 that may be tapped by the customer is configured to allow thecustomer to send data entered via user interface 200 to an accountmanagement system operated by a card issuing entity.

Referring again to FIG. 1, upon receiving authentication data 112 andpayment amount 108, account management system 104 may authenticatecustomer 102 (e.g., using authentication data 112 and perhaps biometricdata 114). Upon authenticating customer 102, account management system104 may also access credit account 109 and/or rewards account 110.Account management system 104 may determine the amount of availablecredit in credit account 109 and the number of rewards points currentlyavailable for customer 102 to redeem in rewards account 110. Based onthe amount of available credit in credit account 109 and the number ofrewards points currently available for customer 102 to redeem in rewardsaccount 110, account management system 104 may further determine anumber of payment options 120 selectable by the customer. Selectablepayment options 120 may include an option to redeem a portion of therewards points currently available for customer 102 to fund a portion ofpayment amount 108. The portion of rewards points may be any amount,from zero up to the maximum available amount of rewards points inrewards account 110. Similarly, the portion of payment amount 108 may beany amount, from zero up to the entire amount of payment amount 108.

For example, payment amount 108 received by account management system104 may be equal to $100.00. Account management system 104 may determinethat customer 102 has sufficient available credit in credit account 109to fund the entire amount of payment amount 108. Account managementsystem 104 may further determine that customer 102 also has a sufficientamount of redeemable rewards points in rewards account 110 to fund theentire amount of payment amount 108. In this case, selectable paymentoptions 120 may include an option 120 a for customer 102 to fund theentire amount of payment amount 108 by redeeming $100.00 worth ofrewards points. Selectable payment options 120 may also include anoption 120 b for customer 102 to fund the entire amount of paymentamount 108 without redeeming any rewards points. Selectable paymentoptions 120 may also include an option 120 c for customer 102 to specifya particular amount of payment amount 108, from zero up to the entireamount of payment amount 108, for which a portion of the rewards pointscurrently available for customer 102 should be redeemed.

In another example, payment amount 108 received by account managementsystem 104 may again be equal to $100.00. Account management system 104may determine that customer 102 has sufficient available credit incredit account 109 to fund the entire amount of payment amount 108.Account management system 104 may further determine that customer 102does not have a sufficient amount of redeemable rewards points inrewards account 110 to fund the entire $100.00 amount of payment amount108, but does, however, have a sufficient amount of redeemable rewardspoints to fund up to a $50.00 portion of payment amount 108. In thiscase, selectable payment options 120 would not include option 120 a forcustomer 102 to fund the entire amount of payment amount 108 byredeeming $100.00 worth of rewards points. Selectable payment options120 may, however, include option 120 b for customer 102 to fund theentire amount of payment amount 108 without redeeming any rewardspoints. Selectable payment options 120 may also include an option 120 cfor customer 102 to specify a particular amount of payment amount 108,this time from zero up to the amount of payment amount 108 for whichsufficient redeemable rewards points are currently available forcustomer 102, which in this example is $50.00.

Similarly, in yet another example, payment amount 108 received byaccount management system 104 may again be equal to $100.00. Accountmanagement system 104 may determine that customer 102 has sufficientavailable credit in credit account 109 to fund the entire amount ofpayment amount 108. Account management system 104 may further determinethat customer 102 does not have a sufficient amount of redeemablerewards points to fund any portion of payment amount 108. In this case,selectable payment options 120 may only include option 120 b forcustomer 102 to fund the entire amount of payment amount 108 from creditaccount 109 and without redeeming any rewards points from rewardsaccount 110. Selectable payment options 120 may also include anindication that customer 102 does not have a sufficient amount ofredeemable rewards points to fund any portion of payment amount 108.

Selectable payment options 120 may be sent from account managementsystem 104 to mobile device 101. Upon receiving selectable paymentoptions 120 from account management system 104, mobile device 101 maypresent them to customer 102. In some embodiments, where customer 102has executed mobile application 116 on mobile device 101 (e.g., in orderto facilitate receiving and sending authentication data 112 and paymentamount 108), mobile device 101 may display selectable payment options120 via a graphical user interface 122 generated by mobile application116. Customer 102 may then select one of payment options 120 as aselected payment option 124. For example, in some embodiments wherecustomer 102 has executed mobile application 116 on mobile device 101 todisplay selectable payment options 120, graphical user interface 122 maybe further configured to receive customer 102's selection of selectedpayment option 124 (e.g., via customer tapping or otherwise selecting agraphical element corresponding to selected payment option 124).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a user interface 300 that may be used tofacilitate receiving and sending selectable payment options according toan exemplary embodiment is shown. User interface 300 may be formattedas, for example, a PDF or HTML document capable of being displayed on amobile device and further configured for data entry using a suitableuser interface device. User interface 300 may include one or moregraphical elements configured to receive input either automatically orvia a user interface device, such as a keypad (e.g., a physical orvirtual keypad) or touch screen display.

As shown in FIG. 3, user interface 300 may include one or moreselectable objects (e.g., radio buttons or check boxes) corresponding toa number of selectable payment options that may be selected by acustomer. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, user interface 300includes selectable objects 302, 304, and 306 that may be selected bythe customer. Selectable object 302 corresponds to a selectable paymentoption for funding an entire $100.00 payment amount by redeeming $100.00worth of rewards points. Selectable object 304 corresponds to aselectable payment option for funding the entire $100.00 payment amountfrom a charge account without redeeming any rewards points. Selectableobject 306 corresponds to an option to specify a particular portion ofthe $100 payment amount, from zero up to the entire payment amount, forwhich a portion of the rewards points currently available should beredeemed, with the remainder of the payment account funded from a chargeaccount. The customer may select one of the selectable payment optionsby, for example, tapping the corresponding selectable object (e.g., viaa touch screen display).

As will be appreciated, selectable objects for other payment options arecontemplated as well. For example, selectable object 306 couldcorrespond to an option to specify a particular portion of the $100payment amount, from zero up to a maximum amount of the payment amountfor which an equivalent value of rewards points are currently available(e.g., in situations where the customer does not have a sufficientnumber of redeemable rewards points available to fund the entire paymentamount). Similarly, in some embodiments user interface 300 may providean indication that the customer does not have a sufficient amount ofredeemable rewards points to fund any portion of the payment amount.

Referring again to FIG. 1, mobile device 101 may send customer 102'sselected payment option 124 to account management system 104. In someembodiments, graphical user interface 122 provided by mobile application116 is used to facilitate sending customer 102's selected payment option124 to account management system 104. For example, referring again toFIG. 3, in the illustrated embodiment, a graphical element in the formatof a button 308 that may be tapped by the customer is configured toallow the customer to send a selected payment option to an accountmanagement system operated by a card issuing entity.

Referring again to FIG. 1, upon receiving customer 102's selectedpayment option 124, account management system 104 may deduct or place ahold on any corresponding amounts from credit account 109 and rewardsaccount 110. For example, if account management system 104 receives aselected payment option 124 indicating that a $50.00 portion of apayment amount of $100.00 should be funded by redeeming $50.00 worth ofrewards points, then account management system 104 may proceed to holdor deduct $50.00 from the current available credit limit of creditaccount 109. Account management system 104 may further proceed to deductthe equivalent of $50.00 worth of rewards points from rewards account110.

Account management system 104 may then send an authorized form ofpayment 126 to mobile device 101. Authorized form of payment 126 may bea single form of payment configured for presentation to point of saledevice 106, regardless of whether customer 102 is funding all, aportion, or none of payment amount 108 by redeeming rewards points. Insome embodiments, authorized form of payment 126 is displayable bymobile device 101. For example, referring now to FIG. 4, a singledisplayable authorized payment form 400 according to an exemplaryembodiment is shown. Payment form 400 includes a quick response (QR)code 402 that may be scanned by a merchant's point of sale device toacquire the details of the authorized payment. In other arrangements, abar code may be used instead of the QR code 402.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, authorized form ofpayment 126 may be configured for electronic transmission from mobiledevice 101 to point of sale device 106. For example, in embodimentswhere both mobile device 101 and point of sale device 106 are NFCenabled devices, authorized form of payment 126 may be appropriatelyformatted according to industry standards for transmission from mobiledevice 101 to point of sale device 106. In some embodiments, uponreceiving selected payment option 124, account management system 104 maydeduct or place a hold on any corresponding amounts from credit account109 and rewards account 110, and customer 102 may present a credit card(e.g., authentication device 103) to merchant 107 for processing atpoint of sale device 106, rather than sending authorized form of payment126 to mobile device 101. Account management system may then laterreconcile the credit card transaction in accordance with selectedpayment option 124.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a process 500 for payment usingrewards points according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. At a step505, authentication data from a customer seeking to purchase goods orservices in a merchant point of sale transaction by redeeming rewardspoints may be received at a mobile device. The mobile device may be, forexample, an NFC enabled cellular phone, smart phone, personal digitalassistant (PDA), tablet device, laptop computer or other device. Theauthentication data may include, for example, account information suchas the customer's name, credit account or credit card number, cardexpiration data, and rewards account number. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the customer's authentication data may be received at themobile device via a contactless smart-card that cryptographicallygenerates a code which can be verified by the card issuer's systems forpurposes of authenticating the customer. According to another exemplaryembodiment, biometric data may be provided to the mobile device forpurposes of authenticating the customer. In some embodiments, thecustomer may execute a mobile application on the mobile device in orderto facilitate receiving the authentication data.

At a step 510, the mobile device may further receive a payment amountfor the merchant point of sale transaction. In some embodiments, thecustomer may input the payment amount via a mobile application. In someembodiments, the payment amount may be electronically transmitted to themobile device from the merchant's point of sale device.

At a step 515, the mobile device may send the customer's authenticationdata and the payment amount to an account management system associatedwith the card issuing entity so that, upon receiving the customer'sauthentication data and the payment amount, the account managementsystem may authenticate the customer and access the customer's creditaccount and rewards account. At a step 520, the account managementsystem may determine the amount of rewards points currently availablefor the customer to redeem.

At a step 525, the account management system may determine a number ofpayment options selectable by the customer. The selectable paymentoptions may include an option to redeem a portion of the rewards pointscurrently available for the customer to fund a portion of the paymentamount. For example, the selectable payment options may include anoption to redeem a portion of the rewards points to fund the entirepayment amount, an option to redeem a portion of the rewards points tofund less than the entire payment amount, and an option not to redeemany of the portion of rewards points.

At a step 530, the selectable payment options may be sent from theaccount management system to the mobile device. At a step 535, themobile device may present the selectable payment options to thecustomer. In some embodiments, the mobile device may display theselectable payment options via a graphical user interface of a mobileapplication. At a step 540, the mobile device may receive a selectedpayment option selected by the customer from the displayed paymentoptions. In some embodiments, a mobile application may be configured toreceive the customer's selected payment option via a graphical userinterface.

At a step 545, the customer's selected payment option may be sent to theaccount management system. At a step 550, the account management systemmay send an authorized form of payment to the mobile device. The form ofpayment may be, for example, a single form of payment configured forpresentation to the merchant's point of sale device, regardless ofwhether the customer is funding all, a portion, or none of the paymentamount by redeeming rewards points. At a step 555, the mobile device maysend the form of payment to the point of sale device. In someembodiments, the authorized form of payment may be displayable by themobile device, such as a barcode that may be scanned by the merchant'spoint of sale device. In some embodiments, the form of payment may beconfigured for electronic transmission from the mobile device to themerchant's point of sale device.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a block diagram illustrating a system 600 forpayment using rewards points according to an exemplary embodiment isshown. System 600 may include, for example, a server 602. Server 602 maybe implemented by, for example, general purpose or special purposecomputers or other machines with a processor and memory configured tostore applications including program code in the form ofmachine-executable instructions or data structures. In particular,server 602 may include one or more applications configured to implementthe various embodiments of account management systems shown anddescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

In some embodiments, server 602 may be implemented as a single unit forfacilitating payment using rewards points. In other embodiments, system600 may distribute functionality across multiple servers. For example,system 600 may additionally utilize a credit account server 604 and arewards account server 606 for managing credit accounts and rewardsaccounts as shown and described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

Server 602 may include a processor 612. Processor 612 may be implementedin hardware, firmware, software, or any combination of these methods.Server 602 may have one or more processors 612 that use the same or adifferent processing technology. Additionally, processor 612 may be aseparate component or may be embedded within another component of server602. Processor 612 may execute applications including program code inthe form of machine-executable instructions that may be written usingone or more programming languages, scripting languages, assemblylanguages, etc. The instructions may be carried out by, for example, aspecial purpose computer, logic circuits, or hardware circuits.Processor 612 may execute, for example, one or more applicationsconfigured to implement the various embodiments shown and describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

Server 602 may further include a system memory 614. System memory 614may include, for example, a non-transitory machine-readable media forcarrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Such machine-readable media may be any available mediathat may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer orother machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readablemedia may comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium which may be used to carry or store desired applicationsincluding program code in the form of machine-executable instructions ordata structures and which may be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer or other machine. Server 602 may have one ormore system memories 614 that use the same or a different memorytechnology.

System memory 614 may store one or more applications configured toimplement the various embodiments shown and described above withreference to FIGS. 1-5. For example, system memory 614 may store anapplication configured to generate a graphical user interface whenexecuted by processor 612, such as one or more dynamically generated webpages presented to customers via browser or mobile applicationsoperating on mobile devices. The graphical user interface may prompt thecustomers to take certain actions and may receive user inputs providedin response to such prompting.

Server 602 may be accessed via, for example, a communication network618. Communication network 618 may allow other devices to link to server602 by, for example, a wired, wireless or combination local areanetwork, wide area network (Internet), etc. Communication network 618may include any necessary hardware and/or software to facilitate securetransmission of data.

Server 602 may also be accessed by a customer using a mobile device 620.Mobile device 620 may be, for example, a cellular phone, smart phone,personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet device, laptop computer, orother device. Mobile device 620 may include a display 622, a userinterface 624, a processor 626, a system memory 628, and a system busthat couples various system components including system memory 626 toprocessor 624. In particular, mobile device 620 may be configured toimplement the various embodiments of mobile devices shown and describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

Display 622 may be, for example, an LED or LCD display which may alsoinclude a touch screen. User interface 624 may include, for example, akeyboard, a keypad, a mouse, joystick or other input device performing asimilar function. Processor 626 may be implemented in hardware,firmware, software, or any combination of these methods. Mobile device620 may have one or more processors 626 that use the same or a differentprocessing technology. Additionally, processor 626 may be a separatecomponent of mobile device 620, or may be embedded within anothercomponent of mobile device 620. Processor 626 may execute applicationsincluding program code in the form of machine-executable instructionsthat may be written using one or more programming languages, scriptinglanguages, assembly languages, etc. The instructions may be carried outby, for example, a special purpose computer, logic circuits, or hardwarecircuits. Processor 626 may execute, for example, email, browser ormobile applications stored in memory 628. The email, browser or mobileapplications stored in memory 628 may be any type of software that iscapable of communicating with server 602 via a network connection.System memory 628 may be, for example, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROMor any other medium which may be used to carry or store desiredapplications including program code in the form of machine-executableinstructions or data structures. System memory 628 may also store otherdata such as, for example, authentication data as shown or describedwith reference to FIGS. 1-5.

Mobile device 620 may communicate with server 602 via communicationnetwork 618 through, for example, a wired, wireless or combination localarea network, wide area network (Internet), etc. Programs may run onrespective computers to create a client-server relationship. Forexample, in some embodiments, mobile device 620 may execute a webbrowser or mobile application to interact with server 602, and data maybe provided to a user interface of the web browser or mobile applicationexecuting on mobile device 620. For example, server 602 may providecontent to the web browser or mobile application of mobile device 620 inresponse to a request received from the mobile device.

Mobile device 620 may also communicate with an authentication device 630and a point of sale device 640 through, for example, a wirelesscommunication link using secure NFC standards and protocols such asECMA-340 and ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092. In some embodiments, mobile device620 may execute a browser or mobile application to interact withauthentication device 630 and/or point of sale device 640, and data maybe provided to a user interface of the browser or mobile applicationexecuting on mobile device 620. In some embodiments, mobile device 620may receive biometric information using a known mobile biometricapplication.

Authentication device 630 may be, for example, a contactless EMV smartcard capable of being configured to implement the various embodiments ofauthenication devices shown and described above with reference to FIGS.1-5. Point of sale device 640 may be, for example, a magnetic stripecard reader, an RFID device, barcode reader, cash register, computingdevice, smart card reader, scanning device or other device employed forprocessing merchant transactions. In particular, mobile device 640 maybe configured to implement the various embodiments of point of saledevices shown and described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5. In someembodiments, point of sale device 640 may be configured forcommunication using secure NFC standards and protocols. In someembodiments, point of sale device 640 may be further configured tocommunicate with server 602 either directly via communication network618, or via a credit transaction facilitator such as VISA, MASTER CARD,DISCOVER, OR AMERICAN EXPRESS in order to, for example, reconcile credittransactions as shown and described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

The scope of this disclosure should be determined by the claims, theirlegal equivalents and the fact that it fully encompasses otherembodiments which may become apparent to those skilled in the art. Allstructural, electrical and functional equivalents to the elements of thebelow-described disclosure that are known to those of ordinary skill inthe art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intendedto be encompassed by the present claims. A reference to an element inthe singular is not intended to mean one and only one, unless explicitlyso stated, but rather it should be construed to mean at least one. Noclaim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recitedusing the phrase “means for.” Furthermore, no element, component ormethod step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to thepublic, regardless of whether the element, component or method step isexplicitly recited in the claims.

The embodiments in the present disclosure have been described withreference to drawings. The drawings illustrate certain details ofspecific embodiments that implement the systems, methods and programs ofthe present disclosure. However, describing the embodiments withdrawings should not be construed as imposing any limitations that may bepresent in the drawings. The present disclosure contemplates methods,systems and program products on any machine-readable media foraccomplishing its operations. The embodiments of the present disclosuremay be implemented using an existing computer processor, or by a specialpurpose computer processor incorporated for this or another purpose orby a hardwired system.

As noted above, embodiments within the scope of the present inventioninclude program products comprising non-transitory machine-readablemedia for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or datastructures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media may be anyavailable media that may be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example,such machine-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROMor other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which may be used to carry or storedesired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions ordata structures and which may be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Thus, anysuch a connection is properly termed a machine-readable medium.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofmachine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions comprise, forexample, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines toperform a certain function or group of functions.

Embodiments in the present disclosure have been described in the generalcontext of method steps which may be implemented in one embodiment by aprogram product including machine-executable instructions, such asprogram code, for example, in the form of program modules executed bymachines in networked environments. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Machine-executable instructions, associated data structures, and programmodules represent examples of program code for executing steps of themethods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executableinstructions or associated data structures represent examples ofcorresponding acts for implementing the functions described in suchsteps.

As previously indicated, embodiments in the present disclosure may bepracticed in a networked environment using logical connections to one ormore remote computers having processors. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that such network computing environments may encompass manytypes of computers, including personal computers, hand-held devices,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and so on.Embodiments in the disclosure may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by local and remoteprocessing devices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wirelesslinks, or by a combination of hardwired or wireless links) through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

An exemplary system for implementing the overall system or portions ofthe disclosure might include one or more computers including aprocessor, a system memory or database, and a system bus that couplesvarious system components including the system memory to the processor.The database or system memory may include read only memory (ROM) andrandom access memory (RAM). The database may also include a magnetichard disk drive for reading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk, amagnetic disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable magneticdisk, and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to aremovable optical disk such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Thedrives and their associated machine-readable media provide nonvolatilestorage of machine-executable instructions, data structures, programmodules and other data for the computer. User interfaces, as describedherein, may include a computer with a monitor, a keyboard, a keypad, amouse, a joystick or other input devices performing a similar function.

It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specificorder and composition of method steps, it is understood that the orderof these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may becombined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated intodiscrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may bealtered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus maybe varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Such variations will depend on thesoftware and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. It isunderstood that all such variations are within the scope of thedisclosure. Likewise, software and web implementations of the presentinvention could be accomplished with standard programming techniqueswith rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various databasesearching steps, correlation steps, comparison steps and decision steps.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the subject matter to the precise form disclosed, andmodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practice of the subject matterdisclosed herein. The embodiments were chosen and described in order toexplain the principals of the disclosed subject matter and its practicalapplication to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the disclosedsubject matter in various embodiments and with various modifications asare suited to the particular use contemplated. Other substitutions,modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design,operating conditions and arrangement of the embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter.

Throughout the specification, numerous advantages of the exemplaryembodiments have been identified. It will be understood, of course, thatit is possible to employ the teachings herein without necessarilyachieving the same advantages. Additionally, although many features havebeen described in the context of a particular data processor, it will beappreciated that such features could also be implemented in the contextof other hardware configurations.

While the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures and describedabove are presently preferred, it should be understood that theseembodiments are offered by way of example only. Other embodiments mayinclude, for example, structures with different data mapping ordifferent data. The disclosed subject matter is not limited to aparticular embodiment, but extends to various modifications,combinations, and permutations that nevertheless fall within the scopeand spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of payment using rewards points, comprising: receiving, by an account management system operated by a card issuing entity, a payment amount from a customer's mobile device; determining, by the account management system, an amount of rewards points available to fund the payment amount in a customer rewards account associated with the customer; determining, by the account management system, an amount of credit available to fund the payment amount in a customer credit account associated with the customer; determining, by the account management system, selectable payment options based on the amount of rewards points available and the amount of credit available; sending, by the account management system, the selectable payment options to the mobile device, wherein the selectable payment options include an option to redeem a portion of the amount of rewards points available to fund a first portion of the payment amount and to use a portion of the amount of credit available to fund a second portion of the payment amount; receiving, by the account management system, a customer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options from the mobile device; in response to receiving the customer selection, deducting, by the account management system, the portion of the amount of rewards points available from the customer rewards account and the portion of the amount of credit available from the customer credit account; generating, by the account management system, a single form of payment in the form of at least one of a quick response (QR) code, a bar code, or a near-field communication (NFC) transmission, wherein the single form of payment comprises the first portion funded by the portion of the amount of rewards points available and the second portion funded by the portion of the amount of credit available; and transmitting, by the account management system, the single form of payment to the mobile device for providing to a merchant point of sale device.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the account management system, authentication data from the customer's mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable payment options further include a second option to redeem a second portion of the rewards points to fund the entire payment amount and a third option not to redeem any of the portion of rewards points.
 4. A method of payment using rewards points, comprising: receiving, by an account management system operated by a card issuing entity, a payment amount from a customer's mobile device; determining, by the account management system, an amount of rewards points available to fund the payment amount in a customer rewards account associated with the customer; determining, by the account management system, an amount of credit available to fund the payment amount in a customer credit card account associated with the customer; determining, by the account management system, selectable payment options configured for display on the mobile device based on the amount of rewards points available and the amount of credit available; sending, by the account management system, the selectable payment options to the mobile device, wherein the selectable payment options include an option to redeem a portion of the amount of rewards points available to fund a first portion of the payment amount and to use a portion of the amount of credit available to fund a second portion of the payment amount; receiving, by the account management system, a customer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options from the mobile device; in response to receiving the customer selection, placing, by the account management system, a hold on the portion of the amount of rewards points available from the customer rewards account and placing a hold on the portion of the amount of credit available from the customer credit card account; generating, by the account management system, a single form of payment in the form of at least one of a quick response (QR) code, a bar code, or a near-field communication (NFC) transmission, wherein the single form of payment comprises the first portion funded by the portion of the amount of rewards points available and the second portion funded by the portion of the amount of credit available; transmitting, by the account management system, the single form of payment to the mobile device for providing to a merchant point of sale device; and reconciling, by the account management system, a credit card transaction in accordance with the customer selection after the customer has completed the credit card transaction at the merchant point of sale device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein selectable payment options further include a second option to redeem a second portion of the amount of rewards points available to fund the entire payment amount and a third option not to redeem rewards points.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving, by the account management system, authentication data from the customer's mobile device.
 7. A method of payment using rewards points, comprising: receiving, by a mobile device of a user, a payment amount from a merchant point of sale device; sending, by the mobile device, authentication data and the payment amount from the mobile device to an account management system operated by a card issuing entity of a payment card of the user having a financial rewards account and a customer credit account associated therewith; receiving, by the mobile device, selectable payment options from the account management system at the mobile device, wherein the selectable payment options are determined by the account management system based on an amount of rewards points available in the financial rewards account and an amount of credit available in the customer credit account, and the selectable payment options include an option to redeem rewards points available in the financial rewards account to fund a first portion of the payment amount and use credit available in the customer credit account to fund a second portion of the payment amount; sending, by the mobile device, a customer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options to the account management system; receiving, by the mobile device, a single form of payment in the form of at least one of a quick response (QR) code, a bar code, or a near-field communication (NFC) transmission for the payment amount from the account management system at the mobile device, the single form of payment corresponding to the customer selection wherein the single form of payment comprises the first portion funded by the customer rewards account and the second portion funded by the customer credit account; and transmitting, by the mobile device, the single form of payment from the mobile device to the merchant point of sale device via electronic transmission, wherein the single form of payment is displayed on the customer's mobile device, wherein transmitting the single form of payment from the mobile device to the merchant point of sale device comprises presenting the displayed single form of payment to the merchant point of sale device.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a near field communications device.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication data is received from a contactless card.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication data includes biometric data.
 11. The method of claim 7, further comprising executing, by the mobile device, a mobile application configured to receive and transmit the authentication data and the payment amount.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the customer selection of the at least one of the selectable payment options is received by the mobile application.
 13. The method of claim 7, wherein selectable payment options further include a second option to redeem a second amount of rewards points to fund the entire payment amount and a third option not to redeem rewards points.
 14. The method of claim 7, wherein sending the form of payment to the merchant point of sale device includes transmitting a payment authorization to the merchant point of sale device.
 15. The method of claim 7, wherein sending the form of payment to the merchant point of sale device includes displaying a payment authorization at the mobile device. 